Unlike today's world religious views, the belief in one Supreme Being was once a widespread phenomenon. In The Separation of Heaven and Earth, author Harold Montzka provides evidence of this contemporary view with new arguments.

By studying anthropology and the history of religions, Montzka shows evidence for the belief system of the egalitarian hunters who spread across the globe. In the Near East, the area from the mountains in Turkey to the Persian Gulf, people traded freely without evidence of borders or conflict. Then, social hierarchy became evident in a small area. Shortly after this, a number of hierarchical sites appeared suddenly, and society saw massive buildings, city walls, ethnic divisions, trade to benefit the elites, war, and instability.

Developed over forty years, The Separation of Heaven and Earth points out that a single cosmological theme was present in ancient literature as well as recent preliterate hierarchies. The cosmology justifying the elites in hierarchical societies provided for the society by control of nature. Those few groups who have remained egalitarian do not use this cosmology. They are not dependent on the rituals of a social hierarchy; they depend on the providence of their creator.

Hladczuk's bibliography on literacy, which is the most comprehensive literacy/illiteracy bibliography available, covers every literacy `issue' currently in existence, including technological and mathematical literacy, aliteracy, and job literacy. Organized into 37 subject-oriented chapters, this bibliography provides approximately 3,000 citations. Most are dated from 1980 to the present. Although this work is a companion volume to Literacy/Illiteracy in the World. . . it can definitely stand alone. Author and subject indexes complete the volume. . . . Very highly recommended for all college and university collections. Choice Increasing modernization and the technological explosion have lead to redefinitions, new understandings, and an expansion of the concept of literacy. In previous eras, literacy quite simply, meant the ability to read, to be functionally literate. But that definition of literacy--functional literacy--is now one of many that refer to increasingly specialized ways of being literate such as scientific literacy, cultural literacy, computer literacy, and visual literacy among others. Computer literacy and technological literacy were first listed as descriptions by ERIC in 1982 and the recent best seller Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know focused attention on an enlarged understanding of what it means to be literate and urged schools to teach cultural content to produce culturally literate citizens. This comprehensive dictionary, a companion volume to the compilers' Literacy/Illiteracy in the World (Greenwood, 1989) which deals with the subject of literacy organized along the lines of international and national research, has been organized on a straightforward, user-friendly plan with the issues in literacy/illiteracy arranged alphabetically to facilitate logical use. Following the compilers' introduction, 37 sections beginning with adult literacy and ending with women and literacy, address such issues as aliteracy, biliteracy, computer literacy, evaluation of literacy, graphic literacy, right to read programs, and much more. Serious researchers will cross-check not only within the areas of this bibliography but also in the companion volume. Educators, especially those teaching methods courses and seminars to would-be teachers, and professionals in many of the areas treated by this bibliography will find that this trailblazing reference contains a wealth of source materials. This important bibliographical contribution deserves a place in every college and university library as well as in local public libraries across the U.S. Entires are arranged alphabetically by author and in the case of multiple citations by author, the citations are listed chronologically for that author. Where an author has had 2 or more publications in a year, the citations for that year are listed alphabetically by title. Citations are also listed according to the number of authors in a manner that provides easy access to the information. Each item has been numbered consecutively and is referred to by number in the Subject Index which has been compiled not only on the basis of title, but also based on the information contained in the reference. The author's introduction serves as a concise, fact-filled overview of this important and timely subject. Students and scholars in the medical field, as well as alcohol counselors and others dealing with pregnancy or the affected children will find this resource invaluable.

"This book represents a milestone in bringing together these two concepts - andragogy and Internet learning. Others have made suggestions about what is needed for bringing them together, but Dr. Isenberg has conducted the research and knows what is needed . This is the only book I know that delivers such in-depth information and research actually applying andragogy to Internet learning." - Professor John Henschke, University of Missouri
In this comprehensive study, Susan Isenberg provides the most rigorous account and investigation of online adult learning ever conducted. Utilizing an actual internet-based destination site called Virtual Health Coach, this study uses interpretive inquiry methods to assess how adults learn online and identifies thirteen critical components of andragogical principles to internet learning. This book is also an outstanding example of a real life online case study method. The rich results and method make Applying Andragogical Principles to Internet Learning a required addition to any research library in education.

Distance education is rapidly becoming the global trend for lifelong learning. Online Education for Lifelong Learning emphasizes the importance of conceptual understanding of online distance learning and focuses on theoretical and practical challenges of online teaching and learning. It illustrates lifelong learning strategies and how technology can support the course design, implementation and evaluation in higher education. Approaches on topics, such as, creating learning environments, new challenges, and interaction are discussed by a diverse and experienced group of authors. Online Education for Lifelong Learning illustrates practical applications to help guide instructors to create a beneficial distance learning experience. This innovative publication explores new and emerging challenges of online distance education in global learning communities.

Adult literacy teachers are constantly searching for effective, engaging and distinctly adult ways to develop adult emergent reading and, for at least the past two hundred years, adults have formed themselves into reading circles to read and discuss novels on a weekly or monthly basis. Why then are reading circles rarely used, or studied, in formal adult literacy provision? This book explores adult reading development, novel reading and reading circles in the context of a wider examination of reading pedagogies and practices in the English-speaking world. It discusses reading as both an individual and a communal act and investigates the relationship between literature and literacy development, practice and pedagogy (including a reassessment of the controversial approaches of reading aloud and phonics for adults). Sam Duncan reviews a case study of an adult reading circle in a large London further education college and identifies the wider implications for the teaching and learning of adult emergent reading, for the use and understanding of reading circles and for how we understand the novel reading experience more broadly.

An Evidence-based Guide to College and University Teaching outlines a definition of "model teaching" based on research evidence and accepted best practices in high education. Teachers at all levels of skill and experience can benefit from clear, objective guidelines for defining and measuring quality teaching. To fulfil this need, this book outlines six fundamental areas of teaching competency-model teaching characteristics-and provides detailed definitions of each characteristic. The authors define these essential characteristics as training, course content, the assessment process, instructional methods, syllabus construction, and the use of student evaluations. This guide outlines through research and supplemental evidence how each characteristic can be used toward tenure, promotion, teaching portfolios, and general professional development. Additional features include a self-assessment tool that corresponds to the model teaching characteristics, case studies illustrating common teaching problems, and lists of "must reads" about college teaching. An Evidence-based Guide to College and University Teaching describes how college faculty from all disciplines and at all levels of their career - from graduate students to late-career faculty - can use the model teaching characteristics to evaluate, guide, and improve their teaching. The book is additionally useful for teachers, trainers, and administrators responsible for promoting excellence in college teaching.

First Published in 2004. The provision of effective career guidance has been presented as the answer to economic and social problems in young people, and has been seen by governments around the world as essential in ensuring economic competitiveness and prosperity. Policy discussions have centred on individuals' development of 'self-managed' careers within a global labour market, placing employability skills above all other concerns. This book goes beyond the rhetoric of careers guidance by exploring it from critical and radical standpoints. The contributors question the economic underpinning that has driven social inclusion agendas around the globe, arguing that career education and guidance needs to place greater emphasis on approaches that have a greater social awareness and within a global context. They discuss career guidance in consideration of a range of issues including social class, 'race' and gender and raise questions about the implications for policy and practice. Essential reading for students, researchers and academics and practitioners involved with careers education, this book will help the reader to improve their practice through a greater understanding of the theories and social and economic contexts involved

This book explores the development of practical wisdom, or phronesis, within the stories of four mature students studying for degrees in art and design. Through an analysis informed by the ideas of Basil Bernstein and Aristotle, the authors propose that phronesis - or the ability to deliberate well - should be an intrinsic part of a democratic education. As a number of vocational and academic disciplines require deliberation and the ability to draw on knowledge, character and experience, it is essential that no student feels their experience puts them at a disadvantage. The authors argue that democratic education should allow each participant to feel enhanced, included and able to participate in order to create a constructive and reciprocal dialogue. This work will be of value to students and scholars interested in democratic education, the experiences of non-traditional students, and the sociology of education.

New edition of a classic community work textbook Contains all new practice examples and a new chapter redefining the concept of neighbourhood. Includes chapters on starting work, data collection, goals and priorities, making contacts, forming groups, supporting ongoing work, working with people and leaving a neighbourhood.

Knowledge is one of today's few meaningful resources. Equip yourself to ride the rollercoaster of racing change, globalism and technological super-innovation that is life and work in our age. Completely revised and updated for the 2000s, The Adult Learner at Work, 2nd edition is for educators, trainers and managers who want to stay in touch with the latest thinking in their fields. Dr Robert Burns explains the important changes that have swept through the field of post-compulsory education and the worldwide swing to the lifelong learning as the gateway to a learning society. When work, education and life satisfaction can truly intermesh, sustainable prosperity becomes achievable. Robert Burns explores such questions as: * What conditions have created lifelong learning, learning societies and learning organisations? * How have government and business responded? * What methods and processes enhance the learning potential of adults? * How can we motivate adults to learn? * What are the effects of advancing age on our ability to learn? * Is competency training an effective tool for encouraging learning? This new edition examines how and why we must facilitate the learning potential of all members of society. The Adult Learner at Work, 2nd edition provides an attractive vision of the development of learning environments in the workplace and the community setting-integrating skill learning and personal development using well founded principles of adult learning.

In Staying Online, one of our most respected online learning leaders offers uncommon insights into how to reimagine digital higher education. As colleges and universities increasingly recognize that online learning is central to the future of post-secondary education, faculty and senior leaders must now grapple with how to assimilate, manage, and grow effective programs. Looking deeply into the dynamics of online learning today, Robert Ubell maps its potential to boost marginalized students, stabilize shifts in retention and tuition, and balance nonprofit and commercial services. This impressive collection spans the author's day-to-day experiences as a digital learning pioneer, presents pragmatic yet forward-thinking solutions on scaling-up and digital economics, and prepares managers, administrators, provosts, and other leaders to educate our unsettled college students as online platforms fully integrate into the mainstream.

Education will continue to be dominated by technology for the foreseeable future. The rush to respond to the health concerns of the pandemic led to a mass adoption of hybrid and remote online learning tools, without the careful consideration and placement within a conceptual framework that would have occurred prior to adoption in best practices scenarios. As the education field reflects and moves forward, this book can help by highlighting cases in remote or hybrid learning that were successful, despite the rushed nature of the change. This book evaluates and describes successful initiatives in remote and hybrid learning for early childhood through college and job training levels. Digital technologies promote project-based learning and facilitate engagement in the curriculum, however, previous studies of technology integration have shown that it is most effective when integrated into an existing curricular purpose and utilized within a strong conceptual framework of combined academic and technological goals. During the pandemic disruption, remote and hybrid tools were adopted rapidly and often without the benefit of such careful utilization. This book provides an opportunity to conduct that careful consideration in the past tense, looking at what worked during the disruption so that successful practices may be considered for the future. The case studies contained within this book provide an opportunity for scholars, teachers, and stake holders in education to examine and learn from examples of successful instruction utilizing digital tools for remote and hybrid learning.

Vocational education, apprenticeship included, is subject to reviews and updates that the recent crises are demanding. The role of education and training systems in different welfare regimes is key in shaping what it involves becoming an adult, a worker and a citizen. Nevertheless, policy-makers often indicate dual systems as the most successful, efficient and intelligent way to provide vocational education. This volume contributes with research that discusses the appropriateness of dual systems in Germany and Switzerland and shows some of its current weaknesses. It also portrays effective and non-effective ways of introducing apprenticeships in non-dual systems in Sweden and Spain. The authors want to contribute to the debate on the internationalization of VET and particularly of dual systems, to clarify differences between apprenticeship and alternance (too often taken as synonymous). Particularly relevant is the seldom-cited case of France.

This book is an authoritative text that explores best classroom practices for engaging adult learners in beginner-level foreign language courses. Built around a diverse range of international research studies and conceptual articles, the book covers four key issues in teaching language to novice students: development of linguistic skills, communicative and intercultural competence, evaluation and assessment, and the use of technology. Each chapter includes teaching insights that are supported by critical research and can be practically applied across languages to enhance instructional strategies and curriculum designs. The text also aims to build intercultural competence, harness technology, and design assessment to stimulate effective learning in formal instructional settings, including colleges, universities, and specialist language schools. With its broad coverage of language pedagogy at the novice level, this book is a must read for graduate students, scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of language education, second language acquisition, language teaching and learning, and applied linguistics.

Future-oriented education needs to invest in the connectivity between learning and working in order to realise its full potential. This book presents guiding principles on how to build these successful connections. By taking an educational perspective and enriching it with insights from human resource development, this book explores the why, how and what of designing for connectivity. This edited volume presents the current knowledge about educational practices and principles that help to realise connectivity between learning and working experiences. Introducing the central perspectives of workplace learning and learning environments at the boundary of school and work, this book presents key research that examines how educators and professionals from organisations and schools can come together with the purpose of realising connectivity in educational programmes. Empirical research showcasing both theoretical and practical insights from real life cases are at the heart of this book. Considering the barriers to achieving connectivity, this book also focuses on how it can be achieved, with ideas and guidance about communication, design principles and best practices. Using carefully chosen international examples, this book is ideal reading for policy makers, practitioners and researchers looking to learn more about connecting learning and working experiences.

Adults have been and remain marginalized in academic institutions because of the persistence of a deeply rooted culture bias. This work analyzes the current state of the adult student experience in higher education, exploring the organizational, instructional, and interpersonal barriers that adults face in reaching their educational goals. Using applied critical and postmodern theory, the author explores the hypothesis that adults are at-risk in higher education settings because of such bias. The book includes an extensive review and critique of the literature and of contemporary adult programs and practices. In addition, adult students' personal accounts of their academic experiences are presented. This study not only reveals the nature and scope of the obstacles faced by adult students, but begins to suggest tangible ways students and educators can work to overcome them.

As part of e-learning, adaptive systems are more specialized and focus on the adaptation of learning content and presentation of this content. An adaptive system focuses on how knowledge is learned and pays attention to the activities, cognitive structures, and context of the learning material. The adaptive term refers to the automatic adaptation of the system to the learner. The needs of the learner are borne by the system itself. The learner did not ask to change the parameters of the system to his own needs; it is rather the needs of the learner that will be supposed by the system. The system adapts according to this necessity. Personalization and Collaboration in Adaptive E-Learning is an essential reference book that aims to describe the specific steps in designing a scenario for a collaborative learning activity in the particular context of personalization in adaptive systems and the key decisions that need to be made by the teacher-learner. By applying theoretical and practical aspects of personalization in adaptive systems and applications within education, this collection features coverage on a broad range of topics that include adaptive teaching, personalized learning, and instructional design. This book is ideally designed for instructional designers, curriculum developers, educational software developers, IT specialists, educational administrators, professionals, professors, researchers, and students seeking current research on comparative studies and the pedagogical issues of personalized and collaborative learning.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of extant literature on competence-based vocational and professional education since the introduction of the competence concept in the 1950s. To structure the fi eld, the book distinguishes between three approaches to defi ning competence, based on 1.functional behaviourism, 2. integrated occupationalism, and 3. situated professionalism. It also distinguishes between two ways of operationalizing competence: 1. behaviour-oriented generic, and 2. task-oriented specifi c competence. Lastly, it identifi es three kinds of competencies, related to: 1. specific activities, 2. known jobs, and 3. the unknown future. Competence for the unknown future must receive more attention, as our world is rapidly evolving and there are many 'glocal' challenges which call for innovation and a profound transformation of policies and practices. Th e book presents a range of diff erent approaches to competence-based education, and demonstrates that competencebased education is a worldwide innovation, which is institutionalized in various ways. It presents the major theories and policies, specifi c components of educational systems, such as recognition, accreditation, modelling and assessment, and developments in discipline-oriented and transversal competence domains. Th e book concludes by synthesizing the diff erent perspectives with the intention to contribute to further improving vocational and professional education policy and practice. Joao Santos, Deputy Head of Unit C5, Vocational Training and Adult Education, Directorate General for Employment, Social Aff airs and Inclusion, European Commission: "This comprehensive work on competence-based education led by Martin Mulder, provides an excellent and timely contribution to the current debate on a New Skills Agenda for Europe, and the challenge of bridging the employment and education and training worlds closer together. Th is book will infl uence our work aimed at improving the relevance of vocational education to support initial and continuing vocational education and training policy and practice aimed at strengthening the key competencies for the 21st century." Prof. Dr. Reinhold Weiss, Deputy President and Head of the Research, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Bonn, Germany: "This book illustrates that the idea and concept of competence is not only a buzzword in educational debates but key to innovative pedagogical thinking as well as educational practice." Prof. Dr. Johanna Lasonen, College of Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA: "Competence-based Vocational and Professional Education is one of the most important multi-disciplinary book in education and training. Th is path-breaking book off ers a timely, rich and global perspective on the fi eld. Th e book is a good resource for practitioners, policymakers and researchers."

This book shows the continuing importance of art education. Art education attracts students who see multiple meanings and justifications for the worth of that education. Their engagement in art education is not limited to the uncertain prospects for jobs or routes into employment in the arts. Furst and Nylander approach art education through a rich array of empirical examples derived from Swedish folk high school programs in music, visual arts, and creative writing. Based on an analytical framework of pragmatic sociology, the book allows the reader to understand the competences and critical capacities held by students and teachers. The book challenges the dominant public perception of art education and broadens our understanding of what it is good for. The Value of Art Education is essential reading for those defending the status of this vital sector of education, offering a deeper understanding of why people engage, what they gain, and the social importance of the arts.

Further and Higher Education in the UK has expanded greatly in recent years, bringing into education large numbers of young people who present teachers with new challenges. At the same time, there is an immense pressure to improve the quality of learning and teaching, and to encourage students to be active participants in the process.
This book is aimed at teachers, aspiring teachers and other professionals in upper secondary schools, further education colleges and universities who wish to increase learner motivation and to create opportunities for greater learner autonomy. It will:
* relate learning theory to practice
* provide practical help for teachers to understand how they tend to interact with students
* suggest how they may build a repertoire of teaching styles that foster sharing of responsibility with learners for more effective learning.

Microlearning in the Digital Age explores the design and implementation of bite-sized learning and training in technology-enabled environments. Grounded in research-based best practices and a robust, eight-dimensional framework, this book applies the latest developments in mobile learning, social media, and instructional/multimedia design to one of today's most innovative and accessible content delivery systems. Featuring experts from higher education, information technology, digital gaming, corporate, and other contexts, this comprehensive guide will prepare graduate students, researchers, and professionals of instructional design, e-learning, and distance education to develop engaging, cost-effective microlearning systems.